Seat and back frame and spring construction



Oct. 14,1958 E. E. MAJdRANA ErAL- 4 SEAT AND BACK FRAME AND spams CONSTRUCTION Filed Oct. 13 1955 7 Y T 2 Sheets-Shee t 1 ATTOF/Vi) Oct. 14, 1958 E. E. MAJORANA ETAL 2,855,984

f SEAT AND BACK FRAME AND SPRING CONSTRUCTION Filed Oct. 15. 1955 I 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 IN VEN TORJ' SEAT AND BACK FRAME AND 'SPG CONSTRUCTION Egidio E. Majorana and .loseph M. Majorana, Hazel Park, Mich.

Application October 13, 1955, Serial No. 540,252 3 Claims. (01. 155-179 This invention relates to furniture upholstery and seating and more particularly pertains to pivotally connected seat and back spring assemblies adapted to co-act with each other when a person is sitting thereon and when the back is folded over the seat.

Springing arrangements and assemblies have been employed extensively heretofore for providing a resilient seat and back rests, however, the several devices of the prior art have not proven entirely satisfactory inasmuch as they are usually separated alcng their lateral line of juncture into two separate components so that when a person is sitting thereon a gap occurs therelzetween adjacent the persons lower back so that the person i not supported in the area of the back most needing support; so that in vehicle seating the person moves up and down on-the springs of the seat and his back moves relative to the back springs producing a back scrubbing action; and which back and seat portions are not so interconnected as to permit normal movement of the seat and back.

With the foregoing in view, the primary object of the invention is to provide pivotally interconnected, foldable seat and back spring arrangement, to provide for co-ordinated vertical movement between the back spring assembly and the seat spring assembly to eliminate back scrubbing, and provide an arrangement interconnecting the seat and back spring assemblies so that they not only give one another support and fold but also at the critical point of the assembly, namely the juncture between the seat portion and the back portion, the seat and back are connected to eliminate the gap therebetween to support a person in the lower back area.

An object of the invention is to provide a springing arrangement which is completely resilient within the resilient limits of Zig-zag type springs so that the integration of such springs in the inventive assembly does-not restrict or over expand the normal springing ability of zig-zag type springs. I

An object of the invention is to provide a seat and back construction so integrated that it co-ordinates full up and down motion of the back spring assembly with the up and down motion of the seat spring assembly under load.

An object of the invention is to provide a seat and back spring assembly so interconnected that the back spring assembly is allowed its full in and out travel with the seat spring assembly.

An object of the invention is to provide a seat and back spring assembly so integrated with a V-type construction at the top of the back spring assembly elements that full up and down motion of the back is permitted with the same movement of the seat spring assembly.

An object of the invention is to provide a V-type construction in the seat spring assembly which permits the seat spring assembly full in and out movement with the back assembly without restricting the movement of the back spring assembly.

2,855,984 Patented Oct. 14, 1958 "ice An object of the invention is to provide various types of stabilizer bars and integrations thereof relative to the seat spring assembly for proper motion and movement with the back spring assembly and to prevent reverse springing or over springing in the seat spring assembly elements.

An object of the invention is to provide a modification of the invention wherein coil spring assemblies are used for the back and/ or seat portions or in combination with zig-zag type spring portions in the seat or back if desired.

These and other objects of the invention will become apparent by reference to the following description of the pivotally connected seatand back spring assemblies embodying the invention taken in connection with the accompanying drawings in which:

Fig. 1 is a perspective view of a folding seat and back frames having zig-zag spring components.

Fig. 2 is a cross-sectional view of Fig. 1.

Fig. 3 is a view similar to Fig. 2 having coil spring components.

Figs. 4-l5 are views of spring components similar to that seen in Fig. 2 showing various modifications of spring component formations and integrations in conjunction with various stabilizer bar positions and connections.

Referring now to the drawings wherein like numerals refer to like and corresponding parts throughout the several views, the pivotally interconnected seat and back spring assemblies and the pivotally interconnected seat and back frame assemblies disclosed therein to illustrate the invention comprise a bottom frame 10 and a back frame 11 pivotally connected as at 12 and 13, a seat spring assembly 14 mounted on the frame 10 and a back spring assembly 15 mounted on the back 11 and pivotally conected together as at 16 by C-clips in the axial plane of the pivotal connections 12 and 13 so that when the back frame 11 is folded on the seat frame 10 no binding action occurs between the pivot points 12 and 13 and the pivot points 16 and so that the seat spring assembly 14 and the back spring assembly 15 are connected at their point of juncture to give a person sitting there-on support in the most needed area of the back. Fig. 3 illustrates a coil spring embodiment wherein the seat frame 10 and the back frame 11 are pivotally connected as at 12 and the coil spring assembly 14a is pivotally connected to the coil spring assembly 15a as at 16a by looping C-clips around the peripheral wires 18 and 19 of the seat and back respectively and it is to be noted that the pivot points 12 and 16a are on the same axis so that when the back frame 11 is folded down on the seat frame 10 no binding action occurs between the frame pivot points and spring pivot points.

More particularly, referring to Figs. 1 and 2, the frame 10 comprises a bottom portion 20, a back portion 21, side portions 22 and 23, and a front portion 24 while the back frame 11 comprises a rear portion 25, a bottom portion 26, a top portion 27, and side portions 28 and 29. The seat side portion 22 is pivotally connected to the back side portion 28 as by the bolt or rivet 12 constituting a pivot point and the seat side portion 23 and the back side portion 29 are pivotally connected as by a bolt or rivet at the pivot point 13 and it is to be noted that the pivot point is spaced upwardly from the bottom frame 10 and outwardly from the back frame 11 so as to be in the plane of the spring components 14 and 15.

The spring assembly 14 comprises an anchor rod or similar means 30 adjacent the front 24, first upwardly and inwardly directed zig-zag spring segments 31, second outwardly and upwardly directed spring segments 32 so that the segments 31 and 32 form a springable and pivotable V-shaped portion at the front of the seat. The third or seat segment 33 leads from the segment 32 rearwardly toward the back 11, the fourth spring segment 34 leads downwardly and inwardly from the segment 33, and the fifth segment 35 leads downwardly and rearwardly to a point adjacent the back 21 and bottom 26 of the frame 10, and the segment 35 is connected to the rod 36 disposed between the seat frame sides 22 and 23. A stabilizer rod 56 can be connected between the apex of the segments 34 and 35 and lead upwardly and forwardly to the seat face segment 33 so as to prevent the segment 33 from camming downwardly under a load and to assist the direction of swinging action of the V elements formed by the segments 31 and 32 and the segments 34 and 35.

The back spring assembly comprises a lateral rod 37 disposed between the sides 28 and 29 of the back frame 11, a first back spring element segment 38 pivotally connected to the rod 37 leading downwardly and forwardly therefrom, a second spring segment 39 connected to the segment 38 leading upwardly and outwardly therefrom-forming a V-type springing and swinging portion in the zig-zag spring element. The seat back spring assembly face element 40 leads from the segment 39 downwardly and is pivotally connected as at 16 to the seat face element 33 such as by C-clips. It is to be noted that the C-clips 16 pivotally interconnect the back spring assembly 15 with the seat spring assembly 14 and that the C-clip pivotal arrangement lies on the axis of the frame pivots 12 and 13 so that when the seat back is folded down on the seat, no binding occurs between the pivot points or the component parts.

It can now be seen that the seat spring assembly 14 under load pressure can move downwardly by compressing the segment 33 downwardly and by forcing the segments 31 and 32 and the segments 34 and 35 toward one another making their V conformation more acute and due to the fact that the segments 31 and 35 are pivotally connected to the rods 30 and 36 respectively it will be noted that the seat can be rocked rearwardly under the load. It will be further noted that the back spring assembly 15 can move downwardly with the seat portion 33 by pivoting the segment 38 on the rod 37 and by springing the V-shaped connection between the segments 38 and 39 to a more open position so that the seat back face 15 can move downwardly with the seat face segments 33 back face 40. When a person sits on seat face segments 33 they are cammed slightly downwardly and the V-shaped conformations at either end thereof are forced downwardly and the back segment 44 moves downwardly therewith and due to the fact that when the person leans against the back segment it moves rearwardly the seat portion segment 33 can move rearwardly therewith by rocking and springing the connections between the segments making the seat spring construction. In automotive use in the front seat, it is possible to fold the back 11 over the bottom 10 as the back can pivot over the seat on the pivots 12 and 13 and that the springing arrangement of the back 15 can be pivoted relative to the springing arrangement 14 of the seat. In using the invention in rear seats or stationary front seats of automobiles, the pivotal connections between the back frames and seat frames are advisable for insertion and assembly and instead of inserting the backs and seats separately the backs can be hung in the body of the car and the seats pushed into position so that they are integrally connected in their critical low back area of the rider when fully integrated in the car. It is obvious that the inventive device is suitable for theatre seating and other types of seating and also for furniture where no pivotal connections are employed between the back frames and seat frames and the pivots 12 and 13 can be eliminated, however, the pivots 16 are essential due to the fact that it is still necessary and critical to prevent a gap and lack of support at the low back and hip portions of a person sitting thereon.

Referring to the device as 5en in Fig. 3 it be noted that coil springs 50 are used in the seat and coil springs 51 are used in the back with a peripheral wire 52 surrounding the seat springs 50 and a peripheral wire 53 surrounding the back springs 51 with C-clips interconmeeting the adjacent portions of the peripheral wires 52 and 53 on the axis of the pivots 12 and 13 so that the back portion 11 can be folded over the seat portion 10 if desired. Due to the fact that coil springs can be moved laterally as well as axially, when under load, the back springing arrangement 15a moves rearwardly and downwardly and the seat springing arrangement 14:: moves downwardly and inwardly due to their pivotal connection so as to cushion the person sitting thereon and also to support him in the low back critical area as the seat and back springs are pivotally connected together at their point of juncture preventing any gap from occurring between them.

Referring now to the embodiments of the invention seen in Figs. 5 and 11, it will be noted that the V segments are not employed in the upper area of the back springingarrangement but that an L-shaped joint is cffected between the outwardly disposed segments 60 and the back face segment 61 with the segment 60 being pivotally connected as at 62 to the back frame so that the segment 61 can move downwardly with the seat under load. Figs. 7 and 9 illustrate use of the invention without the use of stabilizer bars and the rear V- shaped segments of the seat portion are eliminated and the back portions 63 curve downwardly and outwardly to their point of pivotal connection 64 so that when the seat moves downwardly, back segments 63 can roll rearwardly and downwardly therewith as well as move downwardly on the springing and pivotal connections supplied by the L-shaped segments.

Fig. 8 shows an embodiment of the invention similar to Fig. 7 wherein a stabilizer bar 67 is used between the rear 68 of the segments and the intermediate point 69 thereon to add stability to the segment 65 and to aid in preventing same from being cammed downwardly beyond its point-of return. Fig. 4 is an embodiment similar to Fig. 8 in addition thereto it employs a front V section in the seating arrangements 70 to facilitate more movement if so desired.

Fig. 6 is a view similar to Figs. 7 and 11 wherein the segment 60a of the back 61 is more downwardly inclined towards the pivot point 62 to provide an outward thrust to the back segment 61 as it moves downwardly. It will be further noted that Fig. 5 is similar to Fig. 2 with the exception that the rear V-portion 73 is more closed providing a backward tilt to the seat face portion 33. Fig. 6 illustrates the elimination of the V-sections in the seat area at either side of the seat face portion 33 in that the ends 75 and 76 are not V-shaped but inwardly inclined and pivotally disposed as at 77 and 78 so as to be rockably and compressibly integrated for downward and backward movement of the segment 33. Fig. 10 is a view similar to Fig. 2 illustrating the use of an additional stabilizer bar 79 disposed wholly within the area of the seat segment 33. Figs. 6 and 13 show various positions of the stabilizer bar such as Fig. 6 illustrating the disposition of the bar 80 between the pivot point 78 and the front portion of the segment 33; Fig. 12 shows the bar 81 disposed between the apex of the segments 31 and 32 and the pivot point 16. Figs. 13-15 show a similar disposition of the bar 82 such as between the front pivot point 83 and the pivot point 16 between the back and seat assembly shown in conjunction with various types of springing and swinging arrangements of the seat assemblies themselves.

The inventive springing arrangements provide a simple, compact, durable, and neat appearing device which operates to support the person sitting on the seat in the most critical area adjacent his lower back and pelvic arch Where the sacrum joint needs support and it is to be further noted that due to the fact that no gap exists myrbetween the back face and the seat face that no gap can occur, and no scrubbing action can set up relative to the persons back due to the fact that no relative movement can occur between the seat portion and the back portion.

Although but two embodiments of the invention have been disclosed and described with various modifications, it is obvious that many changes may be made in the size, shape, detail, and arrangements of the various elements of the invention within the scope of the appended claims.

We claim:

1. A spring arrangement for furniture, upholstery, and seating comprising a bottom frame, seat springs disposed on said bottom frame, a back frame, back springs disposed on said back frame, a hinge connection between said frames adapted to permit said back frame and back springs to be folded down on said bottom frame and seat springs, and a pivotal connection between said seat springs and said back springs disposed adjacent the horizontal axial plane of'said hinge connection to eliminate frame and spring interference in folding and to effect a tie between said seat springs and said back springs to eliminate a gap therebetween when a person is sitting thereon, to efiect up and down movement of said back springs with said seat springs to eliminate back scrubbing of a person sitting thereon, and to lend support to said seat springs and back springs in their greatest load carrying area.

2. A spring arrangement for furniture, upholster and seating comprising a bottom frame, a seat spring assembly disposed on said bottom frame, a top portion on said seat spring assembly adapted to be loadwise compressed downwardly and to move rearward, a back frame leading upwardly from said bottom frame, a back spring assembly disposed on said back frame, a front portion on said back spring assembly adapted to be loadwise compressed backwardly and to move downwardly; said top seat spring portion and said front back spring portion being pivotally connected together at points spaced from said frames adjacent the bottom extremity of said front portion and adjacent the back extremity of said top portion so that when a person sits on said top portion and leans back against said front portion said portions are compressed downwardly and backwardly so that said front portion moves downwardly with said top portion and said top portion moves backwardly with said front portion to eliminate back scrubbing, to eliminate a gap between said portions, and to lend support to said portions in their greatest load carrying area; said frames being pivotally connected together adjacent the horizontal axial plane of the pivotal connection between said front and top portions.

3. A springing arrangement for furniture, upholstery, and seating comprising a bottom frame having front, rear, and side portions, zig-zag seat spring elements attached to said front portion, seat spring elements first segments extending rearwardly and upwardly from said front portion, seat spring elements second segments extending forwardly and upwardly from said first segments; said first and second seat spring segments forming a springable and rockable V-section; seat spring element third segments extending rearwardly from said second segments constituting a seat face section; said V-section being adapted to spring downwardly and rearwardly under a load on said seat face section; resilient support means between said bottom frame rear portion and the rear of said seat face section, a top frame having top, bottom and side portions, zig-zag back spring elements attached to top portion, back spring element first segments extending downwardly and outwardly from said top portion, back spring element second segments extending outwardly and upwardly from said first segments; said first and second back spring segments forming a springable and rockable V-section; back spring element third segments extending downwardly from said second segments constituting a back face section; said ti-section being adapted to spring downwardly and rearwardly under a load on said back section; said seat face sections and said back face sections being pivotally connected together at their point of juncture so that under load no gap occurs therebetween, and said back face sectionmoves downwardly with said seat face section and said seat face section moves rearwardly with said back face section; means hingedly connecting said' back frame to said bottom frame adapted to pivot adjacent the horizontal plane of the axis of the pivotal connection between said seat face section and said back face section to facilitate folding said back frame over said seat frame without disturbing the springing arrangement.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,532,884 Benson Dec. 5, 1950 2,660,227 Laurie Nov. 24, 1953 2,672,923 McCormick Mar. 23, 1954 2,687,767 Clark Aug. 31, 1954 

